Anilao Dive Rates

[jigo]

resorts can charge what they want. and eventually they will choose the scheme that works. if a resort wants to charge a fixed rate, its not a problem with me. but good luck trying to force everyone to do the same. anilao is unique and i like it the way it is. i frequent aquaventure where i get the best bang for my buck and the service and food are superb.

 

[clgsamson]

Hanna, you want to meet new friends? I have friends (friends of the PPD too) who dive weekly. I can easily set you up to dive with them and I for that matter, and you can enjoy good ole' anilao rates without the burden of gathering people to dive. Just pm....

ps - the PPDers are going to dive on the 22nd in Anilao in Acacia (new resort). You might want to join them. Bring the family too.

 

[jigo]

I am just not too hot about knowing that diving costs can and will change anytime a diver decides to skip a dive or decides to cut the weekend short and do a daytrip instead of overnight. All of this can me avoided if resorts charged a reasonable fixed rate...

i think this is not the resort's problem and it will be solved by finding more reliable dive buddies.

 

[greatwolf]

I see... I agree it is all psychological. Filipinos will still know what they pay for.... 1000 (example price) for a dive inclusive of boat, tank, weights and DM. Do we really need to know the price of each? Will it make a difference? Maybe psychologically.

At least resorts are now starting to have a sliding fixed rate. It still does not give divers a solid idea of how much their diving will cost on the weekend if they go "solo" to a resort. It will still be dependent on how many divers are there already. At least it is a start though.

I think more people will be diving during weekdays if the dive rates are fixed. I sometimes want to go dive on weekdays but don't because I am unsure what the diving will cost me as I am not sure how many people are diving.

I hope resorts are reading. We want to dive!!!! We want to dive with a big group or a small group. We want to dive! Give us a fixed price and we will dive with or without a group. We will dive more often. It is to your interest to give us fixed rates for diving. It will be easier for us to go to your resorts to dive regardless of the size of our group. Having a small group will not hinder us from diving. Charge us more if needed but charge us right. We will pay the price but do not put the burden of gathering people to dive just to get a good rate.

Although, I'm keen on going, I think this is one of the reasons why I've skipped Anilao. The rates are just too confusing.

 

[rhadamantus]

...and this is the reason why i ended up always diving in PG. rates in Anilao will kill me, considering i have no friends.

 

[Xizang]

you have to consider also that the boat rentals in puerto galera are significantly lower than anilao. In PG a boat can charge as low as P500 for a trip, in anilao it doesn't go lower than P1,000 in fact it can go as high as P1,700 for the maricaban dive sites. If I were a resort owner, I get a lone diver on a tuesday and he wants to do two dives to Bahura and Beatrice with a dive guide. The cost would be
Boat - P1,700
Tanks - P260 (P130 each)
Dive Guide - P1,200
Total - P3,160
If I charge a fix rate of lets say P1,200 per dive, I only get P2,400 from the diver for two dives. I'm short by P700. To make it viable I have to have my own boat so I don't need to hire a boat for P1,700. If I have my own boat that would mean lost income for the local boatman. You probably know what the locals will do alternatively to put food on the table.
And honestly I'm not sure if majority of the manila based divers are willing to pay P1,200 per dive.

 

[hanna_banana]

Although, I'm keen on going, I think this is one of the reasons why I've skipped Anilao. The rates are just too confusing.

I agree. Rates are really confusing... but I have gotten used to it. I just bring a lot more contingency fund than what I am actually comfortable with. The diving is just too good to pass up because of this inconvenience. But yes... it will be much better if rates were easier to understand.

Jigo.... I have reliable dive buddies... but one cannot control all situations... I have had several instances when a dive buddy's family member got into some form emergency that one of the divers in the group had to go home immediately. That left us with a more expensive dive bill than originally planned. So one of our dive buddies had to borrow money from us because he was not prepared for the sudden price adjustment of dive rates... all because the number of divers changed.
Sometimes I feel pressured to dive even if I don't feel like it anymore because I am worried that my skipping the dive will affect the dive costs of my buddies.

I do not agree that it is not the resorts problem. It should be their problem not ours (we are paying guests).

But Don't worry... I don't think resorts will be changing their policies about pricing anytime soon... as they will be up against a big wall of protests. I just wish that things were more simple and convenient.

Clgsamson... thanks for the offer. I might take you up on your offer someday. I am not diving this weekend.

Although This is exactly my point..... someone still have to "organize" the dive. One cannot simply go there and dive.

There must be a way for resorts to give good rates without the inconvenience of variable pricing. Then I think people like greatwolf will be more enticed to coming to Anilao. I think this will be a win-win formula.

Then again... who am I to say.... I am just a casual diver.

 

[Xizang]

A bit of historical perspective might help everyone understand why the Anilao charging is such. During the 70's when Anilao was discovered the area was so beautiful, people say you could catch lobsters over at cathedral for lunch. Divers travelled far to visit the area. During the early 80's the area suffered major destruction from different forms of illegal fishing. The reefs where destroyed and the divers disappeared. When the area became a marine protected sanctuary the resorts helped out by cutting a deal with the locals, the income of the different towns was to be refocused on tourism. The resorts will provide the structure for divers to come and dive and the fishermen will rent out their fishing boats for the divers. Instructors also taught some of the locals to dive to serve as dive guides. The resorts profit from the food and lodging and the locals from the diving. This was a successful model, the fishermen didn't have to dynamite the reefs, the reefs recovered and the divers came back.

 

[clgsamson]

Clgsamson... thanks for the offer. I might take you up on your offer someday. I am not diving this weekend.

Although This is exactly my point..... someone still have to "organize" the dive. One cannot simply go there and dive.

no problem and yes you "cannot simply go there and dive" on Monday to Friday.

 

[jigo]

i agree with Xizang that the boat rates are the clincher. also the number of divers. since most foreigners do not like anilao because of the lack of a night life, anilao is dependent on Manila divers who usually go only on weekends. only a very small minority can go during weekdays together with some foreigners. this means low to zero traffic during weekdays. thus it does not justify resorts investing their own boats and hiring boatmen. the only way a resort can have their own boat and charge fixed rates if they have more foreign guests and charge higher rates. maybe you can, but not many divers from manila can afford that rate.